The Inferno
by Ririka and Redaura
Summary: The Inferno. Risen from the ashes of what the NW left of their victims. They are the best, and being one of their number, Cassia is one of the best. But someones slipped up, because the NW not only know their addresses, but there's NW assassin Flame Azure
1. Prologue: Playing with Fire

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Disclaimer: L J Smith owns the Nightworld and The Chosen inspiration. I own Flame and most of his witty comments, and Ririka owns Cassia. :) And we're only saying this once so this is it for disclaimers folks. 

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A/N: This is co-authored by Redaura and Ririka. We have tried to avoid the clique but you gotta have a bad vampire, and you gotta have a vampire hunter. (No, they aren't soulmates. Ririka: Yet). We hope you like and please, please leave a review. Constructive criticism is good as well. Flame and Cassia are fighting over how gets the flamers. Make their day if you dare. ;) This is one of those fics that starts out as a vague character sketch, then leaps into a full on epic in our minds. But *everyone chants along* in reality it's probably just long. ;) Enjoy people. :)

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Prologue

Cassia Edwards stalked the shadows of Washington Square Park, senses alert and movements' silent, like that of a cat. Any sweet, ordinary teenage girl would know better than to go wandering in the park after sunset. But since Cassia was neither sweet nor ordinary that excluded her. She walked with purpose through the stretch of trees just east of the miniature Arc de Triumph. 

The park had been unusually quiet for the past couple of weeks, and it was uncharacteristic for the Night World scum to change feeding ranges this early in summer. Even if there were vampire hunters pursuing them, they wouldn't be willing to surrender the yields of young healthy humans the park supplied regularly for their consumption. That meant the parasites were planning something. That piece of knowledge should have unsettled her but instead what she felt was the beginnings of grim satisfaction. The fact that they found her to be a danger to their population meant that she was having some serious impact on their society, if that's what you could call it. 

Cassia sighed; she toyed with the dagger in her hands smiling as the moonlight glided across the blade. It was no ordinary dagger, at first glance an untrained hunter would mistake it for a plane silver knife. Only a veteran slayer would know that it was in fact a substance comprised of molten silver and Oak wood bark. The perfect tool to kill either vampire, witch, shifter or werewolf. Always be prepared, the good old boy scout motto. Quoting the boy scouts! She scolded herself. It was a clear indication that the latest foster creatures were having a bad influence on her. Not that they were actual creatures, they just behaved differently to what Cassia perceived as the norm, therefore she had labelled them as being different species to herself.

A rustle of leaves underfoot brought Cassia out of her reverie with a short sharp shock. She chastised herself silently for being careless enough to allow someone to sneak up behind her, a skilled vampire hunter like herself should know that even one tiny lapse in attention could be your death. Cassia repressed a laugh as the clumsy vampire at her back made another whoopsie; she could hear his footsteps. It had to be a newbie; an experienced vampire would never have made such sloppy mistake when stalking its prey. A rush of wind alerted her that the vampire had pounced, and she barely had a fraction of a second to dodge to the left before its hands clamped down on her shoulders. She moved smoothly to its back while it was still trying to figure out where the hell its meal had gone and executed a crippling roundhouse to the back of its knees. Taken by surprise the vampire collapsed to the ground on its back, in a fluid practised motion Cassia drove her dagger down piercing the vampires heart. She withdrew immediately, even slain the leech was still a potential threat. 

Cassia didn't bother to watch as the corpse slowly mummified she had seen it countless times, and frankly it was nothing special, not anymore. Instead she took a packet of matches from her pocket; picked one out struck it and watched detached as it burned. It was satisfying to watch the 'immortal' monsters meet their down fall. Only the bones were left. Bloody Black Bones, as Jonathan liked to call them. The blackened bones would be treated as a dead body that the lab sciences failed on. The police would think it was arson to cover up yet more gang murders and the Nightworlders would know... 

Not many of The Inferno bothered to burn the body, but Cassia felt the uncalled for destruction satisfying. Leaving the body mummified would have the same affect, for the Nightworld and the cops, but Cassia was known as a pyromaniac, a reputation she'd have to be careful with. But now, she had an... appointment. Cassia replaced her dagger in the sheath around her back and slipped from the park unnoticed in the dark. To be late for this important date would be just plain unprofessional and her professionalism was something she prided herself on.


	2. Chapter 1: Ferocious Flames

Pandie Katteken- thank you, and Ririka will R/R as soon as she gets internet access at home. :)

Rayv- *sigh* Cassia is Ririka's character, but Flame is in this chappy! :)

Jen- yeah!

Airlia de Lioncourt- here ya go! :) Hee hee.

AN: So, who wants more? Reviews please… ;) 

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The Inferno

Chapter 1: Ferocious Flames

The midnight air was salty down by the docks; this was where the members of the Inferno had agreed to meet after being posted the information that there was a nice little nest in one of the abandoned warehouses. Cassia felt Jonathan Nish shudder beside her. She cast him a curious glance.

"Cold?" Cassia asked, she returned her attention back to the warehouse.

"No, it's just the docks give me the creeps!" He said, scanning the immediate area. Cassia knew he was probably playing with his unruly mop of auburn hair, she also knew that he was dressed in the mandatory black clothing the Inferno had deemed suitable for such occasions. It was a _Burn Out_ tonight and where as Jonathan shuddered from nerves, Cassia shivered in anticipation. 

The docks were quiet, the faint bugle of a foghorn sounded in the distance but apart from that and the rhythmic sounds of the waves breaking there was not a sound. She and Jonathan were on Pointe tonight. It was Cassias favourite designation, it meant they picked off the possible escapees as they jumped from the roof or waded through the flames. Her crews' speciality when dealing with more than a handful of leeches was to blockade them inside their own headquarters, and then set it on fire and watch them burn. Some of course would try and escape by throwing themselves off of the roof whilst others would try to charge through the flames, and so if this happened the three couples on Pointe around the building would shoot them as they tried to flee. It was spectacular, messy and dangerous but otherwise spectacular. They basically turned the building into an inferno, hence their namesake.

"Hey, you see those spate of murders down in Arizona on the news last night?" Jonathan inquired, he was fidgeting with the ski mask that covered his face.

Cassia nodded, smiling that cold grim smile she used when she watched the Night World scum burn. "Yeah, since we declared it hunting season down here in Washington they seem to have relocated to a more secure hunting ground."

"Some of the guys have been suggesting a Party Pooper." Jonathan replied, he nodded indicating his interest. "Sounds good to me, what do you think?" Cassia smiled, it would be fun to go and shakedown the local blood pack in Arizona but explaining the absence to her new foster creatures was the problem.

"Yeah, it sounds like a hell of a day trip. Finding a plausible excuse for the 'family' could be a problem though!" Cassia confided, she and Jonathan had become accustomed to meeting back up after they had been transferred from one family to the next. He, like her was a foster case. Who, after making his mark on a particular state would get himself transferred to another foster home before the Night World pinpointed his location and hunted him down. It was so easy to transition from being the hunter to being the hunted, especially if your identity was leaked.

"Yeah but it's your birthday soon though right?" Jonathan asked, it now sounded as though he was playing with his dagger. Cassia knew he always did that when he was feeling uneasy.

"Yeah, I'll have made it to nineteen!" Cassia informed him. "Can you believe that some of the other Vets said I wouldn't even last a day when I first started out?" She finished giving him an incredulous stare. Jonathan laughed that deep throaty male laugh only guys could do.

"Yeah I remember, didn't you try and kick their asses?" He remarked through his muffled laughter.

"Darn tootin." Cassia said in answer, she glanced back occasionally to watch for the signal. Jonathan's laughter had morphed into spluttering chuckles; at least I made him forget to be nervous, she thought, smiling slightly.

Jonathan sobered from his chuckling fits abruptly. "Anyway, when you turn nineteen you'll be out of the foster system for good and you won't have to worry about families and emotional ties and shit." 

At one point in time Cassia would have agreed, but now that the day of her impending adulthood was looming she realised that it was the foster families, emotional ties and shit that balanced out her fairly fucked up life. She had thought about discussing this with Jonathan, but since most of his foster families had been more screwed up than him. Cassia had decided that perhaps his life had no balance at all, and so he wouldn't understand. Jonathan began to say something else but Cassia didn't hear him, she was too busy watching as someone turned on a flashlight and waved it three times in their direction. The fun was about to start.

Cassia fixed the hood on her head so it covered everything but her eyes, it was imperative she maintained her secret identity. She looked over her shoulder to watch Jonathan adjust his ski mask and then they began to close in on the building.

Cassia watched patiently as the building started to blaze, the orange, yellow flames casting a rainbow of colour against the bleak night sky. The fire was just beginning to reach the upper floors of the warehouse and none of the vampires had tried to escape the flames yet. She gripped her crossbow closer to her body and took aim, she was vaguely aware that Jonathan had a similar crossbow and that he was also waiting patiently behind her. Sudden yells reverberated from the third floor of Crupsie Warehouse and then the leeches seemed to leap into action. At least twelve vampires jumped the roof at the same time and Cassia shot off her bolt at the closest one, she then reloaded as the vampire screamed mid flight and landed straight into the fire below. It was soon followed by its undead brethren.

It took the Fire service fifteen minutes to get onto the docks, which was a record since the traffic in Washington was appalling even at two in the morning. They were soon followed in suit by the police and the paramedics. They were still too late to intervene however, because by the time they got to the warehouse the Inferno had completed their task, all the Night World parasites had been eliminated.

"Gee, I forgot my marshmallows too damn it!" Jonathan cracked. He and Cassia were perched on top of one of the other buildings on the dockside marvelling and basking at their success. Cassia giggled, she had never thought she would have been able to giggle. Ever! But somehow watching the emergency services scurrying around below, listening to Jonathan's joke and immersing herself in the pure adrenaline rush she was riding through right now made giggling possible. Cassia felt the warm winds blowing in from the water slide up and down her spine making her shiver.

She would never be quite sure what happened next because everything seemed to warp into chaos too quickly to make any comprehension. The scene below was no longer a victory, but a massacre. Those Night people who masqueraded as humans in places of importance such as the police force had rounded all of the human cops, fire fighters and medical staff together and they were herding them toward the fire.

"Shit! They wouldn't." Jonathan said, standing beside her also watching in fixated horror. The dozen or so vampires in police uniforms were baring their fangs now and the people below were screaming. One guy tried to run, God help him. It was a shifter who broke his neck and left him jerking almost dead on the pavement.

Cassia watched the scene and she was cold. "Yes Jonathan, they would."

"We have to stop them!" He retorted, making a move to climb down the steps at the back of the building. Cassia grabbed his arm and pulled him back roughly.

"Don't be a stupid asshole Nish." She seethed, looking at him harshly. "They are dead already and if you go down there you'll only get yourself slaughtered."

"I can't let them die for something we did!" He ground out, trying to wrench free of her grip.

This only served to incense Cassia more and she tightened her grip painfully on his arm. "Listen to me Jonathan! If you go down there they will kill the civilians anyway and then they will kill you. But before they kill you Jonathan, they will screw with your mind and find out a whole lot of shit about the Inferno." Cassia spat into his face. "Then Jonathan they will hunt us all down, because you know they do have the resources and they will spend countless hours torturing us. Me, you, Casey, Shawn everybody. So take a good long look, and ask yourself whether a bunch of innocents who we have probably saved ten times over are more valuable to you than those who work constantly to ensure their safety." This time when Jonathan jerked away Cassia let him but she continued her verbal tirade knowing she had to get the message through his thick noble skull. "Those people down there lived safely because of people like us, people like them are born everyday. Vampire hunters like us! Are born once in a blue moon. You do the math." Cassia turned back to the screaming crowd below and she watched, as they were forced perilously closer to the flames of the fire, which the Inferno had set.

"I can't just stand here and watch?" Jonathan stuttered, his voice laced thick with angry tears.

Cassia glared at him a look of pure contempt in her eyes. "Then turn away and don't!"

"You know something Edwards, you are a cold hearted bitch." Jonathan bit back; his tears replaced with a cold fury.

She turned in response and there was nothing but concentrated humour in her voice. "Thanks." Jonathan staggered; Cassia could see the surprise naked on his face. He had expected anger or hurt, what he had gotten in exchange was the Edwards attitude. "Don't get me wrong Nish, what is happening here tonight I would stop if I could. But that's impossible and you know it. So get with the programme or get out." She finished never taking her eyes off of the people who were now being roasted. Their terrified screams would add yet another nightmare to Cassia's subconscious but she carried on watching, she imprinted every single detail of the whole horrific scene into here mind as though it had been branded there with a searing hot poker.

It was to remind herself of what happened when you failed to save people. Sitting there was a fellow hunter in the flickering night. She could almost hear his morals sliding away... She almost missed his muttered whisper, "So we're more important than they are?" It was almost lost to the extreme of the fire, getting rapidly out of control.

"We can't save everyone. We just can't. I wish we could..." She whispered back.

Flame reclined against the wall, on the roof of a building. Behind him the water reflected orange and intense red off the black waters. Trust vermin to think of something that would touch even a Vampire. It had been amusing to see that the ones that they had caught had been easily picked off. A plan to mastermind... and improve on. 

But first, the little thorns had to be dealt with. 

He was being paid an extortionate amount just to be rid of 'The Inferno'. A laugh really, the council where afraid of barely adult vermin that had escaped the NW's culling system. Showed how old and useless they where getting. But it meant he got to have his kicks _and_ get paid for it.

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Two on this roof. He informed the 'police' below. He informed them of their identities, and all there was now to do was wait. The best hunter knows where it's prey is going, and waits for it there. Flame could wait forever. He was after all immortal - minus wooden implements meeting his heart, and _that_ was a small threat into day's world. 

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We got their locations.

And vermin where so easy to track. They'd made it so themselves.

Cassia wasn't quite sure what made her look up in that instant but she did. She cast a dread filled glance up at the neighbouring warehouse knowing with apprehension that they were being observed. In the same instant she saw a number of the 'police' rush toward the warehouse where she and Jonathan were based.

"Shit Jonathan, we've been made." Cassia called, spinning to face him. But she didn't need to worry as Jonathan was already moving into action, he scrabbled down the fire escape muttering various obscenities. Cassia looked back up at the pale figure on the towering building to her right. He was tall, almost six feet, his hair was short and ash blonde and Cassia had a faint feeling of recognition. She felt like she should know this vampire, because she knew without doubt that he was a leech, but she couldn't place a name to the face. She knew one thing for sure though, he was the leader of this little expedition. His whole posture and nonchalant face expression told her that much.

Without another moments notice Cassia swung onto the ladders and disappeared after Jonathan.

They had barely made it half way through the back alley before they were spotted by a shapeshifter, his species recognisable through their fluid movement. "Shit!" Cassia drew her dagger thinking quite calmly that someone that swore as often as she did was definitely going to hell. Jonathan stopped in her stead and turned his back to watch the exit of the alley.

"You stupid Inferno vermin!" The shifter shouted as he charged directly for them. In theory Cassia knew that shifters were meant to be one of the most intelligent species in the Night World, but obviously this shapeshifter was elsewhere when the devil had been handing out brainpower because he practically stabbed himself. Within minutes of yelling and charging towards them he tried to change as he leapt forward. There was no chance in hell Cassia was about to let him shift, if she did it was over. They were almost certainly dead. Rather than await their fateful end Cassia attacked the bear mid shift aiming directly for his eyes.

The Bear was ready for her and if she hadn't ducked at the last minute the shifter would have taken her head off. As it turned out the bear only cuffed her. But that was enough to send swirling white stars crashing through her head. She recovered quickly shaking away the pain. The half bear half man had turned his attentions to Jonathan and so he wasn't expecting Cassia to drive her dagger forward into his face. This time her blade found its mark.

The Bear shifter whirled back on her raking its huge claws down her arms, even as she felt the hot trickles of blood and searing pain course through her body she drove the dagger further through the bears eye socket using the pain to fuel her strength. The Bear slashed at her blindly now tearing more of her shirt and opening new deep wounds in her chest. Suddenly the shifter seemed to slump forward and an unknown pair of hands pulled at her. It took a moment to Cassia realise that it was Jonathan who was dragging her away. The corpse of the half bear man lay motionless in the alley exit. Without looking back they fled.


	3. Chapter 2: Noble Scarifice

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Rayv: thanks chica! 

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Airlia de Lioncourt: an update! Remember to breathe… hope you like!

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AN: feel free to review...

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The Inferno

Chapter 2: Noble sacrifices

Not aware of how many blocks they had ran in the short space of time, Cassia found herself now in front of Jonathan and dragging him along with her. He looked like shit, but she couldn't complain since she was the one torn up and bleeding. It was only when Jonathan almost collapsed that Cassia was willing to stop. She pulled him into the nearest alley and help prop him against a nearby Dumpster. She may have been the one bleeding and nauseous but it was Jonathan who found it difficult to cope with the running. It was probably all of the muscle he was carrying around with him Cassia concluded sarcastically. She scrambled back to the alley entrance to see if any Nightworlders had tracked them this far.

"They killed all of those people because of us." He said simply, breaking the tense silence. He was going into shock and that was something Cassia couldn't afford.

Cassia moved back to Jonathan and slapped him as hard as she could. He rocked back on his heels. "Listen to me Jonathan, they are dead and there's nothing we can do about it. Now focus. Because if we aren't as careful as hell then we'll be joining them." He stared at her for a long time, his face expressionless. Finally he nodded his understanding, only when she got this conformation did Cassia return to her vigil. "God Nish, I thought you were stronger than this?" She muttered to him as she settled her spine back against the alley wall trying to ignore the waves of agony rolling through her upper body.

"I am...but I can't...what was..."Jonathan replied, under his breath. 

Cassia snapped her eyes back to Jonathan, he had his eyes closed and his breathing was ragged. "Well what..."She stopped abruptly when she heard the sounds of scrunching gravel. Cassia looked up two seconds too late as a vampire swooped down from the third storey roof of the building to her back. She was slender, Viking tall and had a mane of striking red hair, she struck Cassia during her free fall and then leapt toward Jonathan. Cassia recovered quickly, pain was a good motivator. She jumped up from the pavement round-housing the vamp so that she fell onto Jonathan and then yanked her back by the hair. It was a girlie thing to do and Cassia hated it but it was all she could think of to do at the time. Just as Jonathan was freed from reds grasp another vampire dropped from the roof followed by another of his immortal buddies. Now Jonathan was wedged between two vampires and the entrance where Cassia was waiting already in a fighting stance.

But to her heart sank with the silent knowledge that there was nothing she could do as another group of Night World scum advanced from the alley exit. Now Jonathan was caught between the two vampires and the advancing parasites. Jonathan inclined his head fractionally to indicate that he too was aware of the new arrivals. He looked at Cassia, a flawless full smile spread on his lips.

"Live long, fight strong and die well!" Jonathan said, still smiling. With that he launched himself forward and jumping the two vampires blocking his escape route. Cassia moved in to help him but he screamed at her while he wrestled the vamps. "Go! Run you stupid idiot!"

"NO! I won't leave you!" Cassia shouted back at him, forcing back potential tears.

"You can't save everyone, you said that. But just let me do this one thing and save you. Now piss off and RUN!" Jonathan barked back. Cassia watched horrified as the vampires began to overpower him. The others at his back were now running to help their comrades. "GO!" Jonathan roared at her. "I can't hold them much longer."

And with that Cassia ran, she ran blindly and wildly and with no purpose but to escape her best friends death.


	4. Chapter 3: Laughing at Death

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Mogget: Much thanks! :) Here's the next chapter, hope you like.

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EvilTC: I know how you feel. I'm incredibly flattered that you're junkying over our fic. ^^ 

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Airlia de Lioncourt: thanks chica.

Warning: Pretty detailed murder here folks. Be warned, go on to where there are dragons (or at least Flame in a bad mood at your own peril. 

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The Inferno

Chapter 3: Laughing at Death. 

The news reporter shuffled her papers. "It is reported that fifteen Washington police officers, twenty fire-fighters and four paramedics were killed in an arson attack on the lower east dock land area this morning." The screen flashed to pictures of some of those people who had lost their lives. "It is not known who the culprits are, but police have a number of leads on the gang responsible. This is the highest mortality rate for the emergency services in Washington for the last twenty years. In fact the emergency service staff are threatening strikes if they are not given pay rises by the end of the week. The police say that with the increase of gang related activity on the streets they wish to be appreciated for the many risks they take each day to prevent any harm from befalling Washington residents." The reporter gave the camera solemn look before continuing. "And in other news..." 

Cassia killed the T.V. It infuriated her that they could lie this way. Inside her mind the flames started burning the human cops, the ones they were supposed to save, and just as quickly she shoved it back to where it belonged. The deep dark recesses of her mind, which seemed to have been growing disturbingly larger of late. Cassia rummaged through the green first aid kit, which she had retrieved from the kitchen, she opened the antiseptic bottle poured some onto a swathe of bandages. She bit down on the hilt of her dagger and thrust the bandages onto the largest slashes down her arm. She repeated the process with her other lacerations and then bandaged them with some fresh dressings. Baring down on the daggers hilt had been necessary since god damn antiseptics stung like bitch. Cassia pulled her partially shredded shirt back on and stared at the plain blue walls of the Maguires Parlour.

She jumped as her cell phone rang. She could face down vampires, and had nightmares that would scare Freddie Krueger, but her mobile vibrating in her pocket... well, she hadn't gotten used to it yet. _You've had the thing for three years_ she snapped at herself as she answered the phone. 

"Hello?"

"Edwards. It's Casey." There was a pause. "We heard about Jonathan." Casey Mcpherse, one of the head chairmen of the Inferno replied. "How are you doing? Are you doing okay?" _Mcpherse making small talk, that's unheard of. _Cassia muttered to herself sardonically.

"What is it Casey? It's been a hell of a night. And you don't call me to make small talk." Cassia said, running a hand through her long tousled curls.

"The word on the street is that the Council have a hit out on us and they have some of their elite assassins on our asses." Casey informed her, the girl on the other side of the phone was patient but at the same time she was nervous, the tone of her voice told Cassia that something had the Unflappable one was flapped. "If they have Jonathan they could have our locations so I was told to call you and tell you to get the hell out of Washington. Screw your foster family, screw everything just get the hell out!" And with those last few words the line went dead. Cassia gripped the phone listening to the whirr of the hang up signal. She sat quietly for at least ten minutes listening to its continuos whirr and then she bolted up the stairs to the room she slept in. Cassia salvaged her emergency bag of clothes and weapons from under her bed, pulled on a pair of clean jeans and a red sweater and left the Maguire house for good, unseen and deeply unhappy.

Maria scrabbled out of the cool air-conditioned interior of the car and started sprinting up the drive. Gravel sprayed behind her as her feet in their sandals slapped down. She didn't like the way her legs wobbled, or the sweat that started to trickle down her back under the sun. For an eight-year-old she was said to be fastidious. Her black hair gleamed in the over bright sun. 

After two days away she betted that Cassia had reclaimed all of her CD's. She pouted, it would be a challenge to get them back...

She had walked to the door without realising it. "Hey! Nana! The door's open!"

"Cassia must have..." Robert sighed, shaking his head.

"What are we going to do with her?"

Maria didn't want to hear the 'Cassia Solution' again, so she went inside, the walls and air conditioning muffling the sounds of her grandparents' plaintive voices. "Cassia?" She yelled. Maybe she'd run away again... she was always doing that and Maria didn't understand why. Cassia didn't have a boyfriend, unless that lad that occasionally came around asking for Cassia was he.

"Cassia?!" She yelped as hands picked her up by her thin shoulders. "That hurts!" She was starting to get into full whine. Cassia _always_ took the warning and let Maria have her way when she started that. She stared down at the tiled floor, a deep, tasteful blue, or she had heard them described as such. 

That's when she heard her grandparents scream. Her Granddad yelling her Nana's name. 

"Cassia?" she asked, and this time her voice was small. Tiny was how she felt suspended so far off the floor. She should have noticed that Cassia was not this tall.

"Shut up, little rat."

Never in her eight years of life had she heard such a distilled yet hate filled voice. She didn't even dare whimper, as sharp, jagged black rushed up to meet her.

The voice was the first thing Maria could decipher from the endless blackness. It was smooth like black ice. "I'm going to tell you a secret. But once you know, you can not live. It's the greatest secret of all time..." and the voice laughed here. Mockingly, filled with something fattening yet distasteful. "All you've ever learnt is a lie. There are such things as magic, dragons, witches, vampires, werewolves, ghouls and pure evil. Can you tell me why we hid from you stupid vermin? Because you would try to destroy that which is greater than you."

She managed to open her eyes. And screamed, one long piteous scream as cold blue/green eyes glinted down at her. 

"Already screaming little rat? This will really make you scream." 

She couldn't tell what colour his hair was, what clothes he was wearing, or what he held in his hands. Just that his eyes where cold, like aqua fish scales glimmering under the cool sea. 

Her concentration was broken, agony, such agony she'd never experienced. She looked down in horror, and saw her knee, crushed to pulp under his fist. Her breath was lost in sobbing, gasping breaths. Bile rose to her throat. Why was he doing this? Tears streamed down her cheeks as her second knee joined the first, in a quick snap of throbbing pain. 

"Now what shall we do now?" Flame quirked his mouth, savouring her pain. Time for another favourite of his. He slowly ripped her fingers out of the joint, and then took a knife to her digests, relishing every moment of her pain. It was almost cute the way her face scrunched up. He started laughing as she squeaked, her voice nearly worn out when he crushed her pelvis, the same as her knees.

"Nana..." she seemed to breathe.

Time to bring the rest of the vermin in.

He drew his second favourite knife, in preparation for the older folk. He grinned. "See, here's you grand daughter. Hardly harmed at all, and more or less alive as promised."

"Maria!" Nana's voice was anguished. Maria herself couldn't form words. Why should she? Maybe they wanted this to happen. They seemed to be making enough noise. Noises that where formless and distant.

Flame grinned as he 'slice and diced' the old women's legs. It wasn't something he normally did, but the warm blood flowing was good. Even better was her hubby, having a first class view. The worst was yet to come. He picked up bits of her flesh and made him eat it. The mind control was enough to prevent the vermin gagging, but not too much, so he knew _exactly_ what was happening. Smiling to himself he added fingers to the feast. 

Watching their tortured expressions was almost funny. He sat back and looked coolly with disdain at the vermin. They where already broken. Really spoiled a guy's fun that did. 

He drew his favourite knife. He kept it down his back, since the knife was almost a sword lengthwise. He raised it above his head and started to put them out of their misery. The knife whistled down as he systematically started to hack at the flesh below him. 

When he was finished he carefully washed the blood off his knife, and put it back in the sheath. The blood on him didn't matter.

The last, thin pitiful wail came to a wheezing end. And all other breathing stopped. Flame was the only one left alive in the room. _As it should be._


	5. Chapter 4: Law and Shit

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Airlia de Lioncourt: Thankee!** ***huggles*** **Yeah, he is a little mean huh? My little baby... ;) 

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AN: Come on… Review people… No more unless there's thirteen reviews. You can say why you didn't like it as long as you don't flame. Well, Flame would like it if you flamed… ;) *is totally not begging for reviews*

And Ririka is worried about her character. Does anyone think Cassia is weak and girly? 

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The Inferno

Chapter 4: Law and shit.

He's dead. Jonathan is dead. This mantra danced through her head threatening to drive her insane. Cassia walked in the general direction of the bus station, she hadn't been able to shake this distressing feeling from her mind.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." She screamed, almost sobbing. She would not cry. Only weak people cried, and she was not weak. She stopped outside of Starbucks and began kicking the trashcans in front of her repeatedly. Cassia had chosen to walk the back streets so that she could take her frustrations out on any trashcan unlucky enough to be in her way "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit!" She shrieked, giving the trashcan a final brutal kick that spilled garbage into the back allies.

The sudden blare of a police car at her back made her murmur more expletives. A number of thoughts zoomed through her head at that precise moment. But as soon as one of the officers from the car behind her stepped up beside her the only thing zooming through her head was vampire...Vampire...Fucking vampire. All of her senses were howling it in her head. What she wanted to do was pull her dagger from the thin lining of her backpack and decapitate the blood-sucking fuck. What she said was...

"Good afternoon officer, how may I help you?" The vampire lawman pulled a picture from his pocket and held it up in the light to examine it. The vampires' partner who was in fact human came to stand by his associate.

"Well...well...well, it must be our lucky day!" Cop number one whistled, showing Cassia just the barest flash of fangs.

"It's hard to believe that a little thing like this could be one of the serial arsonists we're looking for." Cop number two responded reaching for his cuffs. _Okay, this is not good. I repeat not good, _Cassia advised herself. _What the fuck should I do? _She began to back away from both police officers.

"Now, now little lady just stay right there and make this easier on yourself. Otherwise me and Officer Marten here are going to have to get rough with you." Cop number two warned, raising his hands in an unthreatening expression. Cassia looked over at his partner and that diminutive glint of ruthless fury that filled his eyes as he stared back told her that things were going to get rough no matter what. She laughed ironically in her head; it was so bloody typical 'good ol' Texas Ranger cop' Vs 'viscous psychotic monster cop'. _Let's have a showdown at the OK Corral,_ she sniggered to herself. Considering all of the ways she could have died fighting the good fight for humanity, being arrested, charged and then tortured to death later by the Nightworld was not on her list. There was no way in hell she was going to go down like that. It was just too fucking easy.

Without further deliberation Cassia broke into a sprint heading in the opposite direction of the cops. For a split second it seemed that she might escape, but when she felt her legs give under her and strong hands grasp her shoulders she knew the leech had only been giving her false hope so that he could savour her angry response at being rounded up like the rat he believed her to be. "Shit!" She said, as she heard the metallic click of the handcuffs echo in her ears.

"Cassia Edwards I am arresting you for the crimes of arson, criminal damage and manslaughter. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you can or do say can be taken as evidence and used against you in a court of law." Vampire cop intoned, hauling her toward the patrol car. His human partner was holding open one of the back doors. "I hear you like playing with fire Cassia," He added, as he thrust her against the hood and frisked her for weapons. "Well just wait until we're alone then I'll show you some fire!" Cassia wanted to groan openly, partly because his idea of witty banter was just plain corny and partly because he had removed the wrist sheaths containing her throwing knives. He next removed the dagger from her bag and then pulled out a various multitude of stakes from her belt. But the final straw came when he found her boot knife. That was it, completely defenceless. In the past ten years Cassia couldn't recall a time when she hadn't carried a weapon, it had become a careless habit. Some girls didn't leave home without their purse. Cassia didn't leave home without major weaponry, better to be safe than sorry _and dead. _She thought muttering curses under her breath about stupid pigs with batons.

"You can't show me shit, Officer Marten." Cassia replied her voice calm and serious. Fang Cop chuckled and then muttered. "We'll see." As he pushed her against the cool leather upholstery of the backseat. His partner slammed the door shut and Cassia was left with the distinct urge to scream. She managed to retain her cool for most of the journey to the police precinct by thinking of how the foster family would rate this little excursion on the Cassia criminal record. It would be interesting to see the look on they faces when they found out she was a Pyro as well as a Clepto and basic delinquent. Assuming she lived that long.

"Hey blonde, do you know how many of our people you killed last night." Officer Marten interrupted; he was staring back at her angry. His partner was driving happily ignoring him.

"Probably less than you!" Cassia retorted, dryly, she looked straight back at him unflinching. Whether it was because he couldn't think of a comeback or because he was afraid she would blow his cover Officer Marten remained intelligently silent for the rest of the journey.

Cassia had watched some corny cop movies in all her eighteen years but to actually be in a cell out of one of them, wasn't so amusing. Grey walls almost soaked through with damp, a small cot bed in one corner and hookers in the cell next door. It was nice to see the American legal system hadn't lost its authentic edge. She could vaguely remember being carried through the various stages of the legal process but since she was already well aquatinted with them she hadn't been paying much attention. Thankfully Officer Marten and Deputy Dope had disappeared after they had booked her, but Cassia had a feeling Fang Cop would be back sooner or later. He was Night World scum and there was no doubt in her mind that he would serve her up to his masters the first chance he got.


	6. Chapter 5: Moi

We're review junkies. *Hint hint* Much thanks to Airlia de Lioncourt, who reviewed EVERYTHING I've ever written. This is dedicated to her. :)

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The Inferno

Chapter 5 Moi

It was such a savage bitch when your suspicions were confirmed, Cassia thought, she had become increasing irritated when she heard the faint whistling of Officer Marten as he waltzed up to her cell. Cassia tilted her head to the side and put on her best gleeful smile.

"The only reason I've come in is because _someone_ wants to talk to you." He put strained emphasis on the 'someone', trying to tell her that whoever was on the other end of the phone line was important. Otherwise he kind of sung the rest like a child might sing "I know something you don't know, I know something you don't know". He held the phone through the bars so she could take it.

Cassia reached out to grab the phone but he snatched it back. He leered at her obscenely before asking. "You've never had a _real_ man have you?"

She continued to smile, although it took some effort. "No, but I like to burn em though. It's not a good basis for a relationship." Fang Cop gawked at her as if he couldn't comprehend. _Stupid Leech,_ she concluded whilst grabbing the phone from his grasp.

"Ohh testy!" Officer Marten commented, he was still leering at her. Cassia turned her back on him, promptly ignoring him.

"Who the fuck is this?" Cassia retorted down the phone.

"Moi." Said the deep, sexy voice on the other side of the phone line. Cassia smiled a real smile, if this asshole wanted to play this game then that was fine with her. It was quite fortunate that French was the only class she didn't skip at school. And that was only because it was the afternoon class, on mornings she was usually still sleeping off the previous night's events or patching up her body.

"Bonjour Moi. Ca va?"

"Ca va bien. Et tu?" The voice replied, it was overly pleasant. It didn't take a genius to realise that he knew she was playing along with his little masquerade. She dropped the pretence abruptly seriously pissed off.

"Not fucking good! I'm not used to bars," she answered. Trying to keep the acid anger out of her voice.

"Ma porve petite puis!" The perfect unaccented voice purred in false sympathy. It was in fact a voice that would have made weaker hunters tremble, it held the promise of unsaid tortures but was coated in honey scented condolences.

"My poor blood sucking insect? What the fuck! You suck more fucking blood than I do! I DON'T SUCK ANYTHING! And I am so sick of this fucking leech! He is such a waste of my fucking time. He can't even think of a decent comeback to save his fucking undead psychotic ass! And you! Who ever the fuck you are _moi_ can kiss my fucking ass-" Cassia spat down the phone but was cut short by the attractive male voice.

"With pleasure."

She rested against the wall at her back and stared furious. "Oh please! Kill me now so I don't have to put up with anymore of Officer Martens pathetic come ons!"

Officer Marten who was doing very obscene things with his tongue stopped abruptly to murmur. "Ouch."

"See?" Cassia growled, frustrated.

"You could try to escape...to tell you the truth I expected more from a member of your little group. What are they called again? Oh that's right The Inferno." The voice had suddenly gone cold. "Let's just say I've extinguished all hazardous flames from that fire. All except you that is, but don't worry I'll stamp you out soon enough." He finished, his tone betraying nothing.

It was either plain outright fury or utter despair that made her spit her next words. "Fuck you Bat boy." And just to make her point she slammed the phone off of the bars and then threw it Officer Marten's empty skull.

"Oww you psychotic bitch!" Fang Cop screamed at her. Cassia was actually impressed he had enough sense to respond.

She smiled shaking her head; she was trying not to laugh knowing that it would only provoke him more. "That's my name, don't wear it out!" Now she was laughing. 

Officer Marten bore down on her spitting vehemently through the bars. "You won't be laughing when you wake up."

"Then bring it on Fang Cop. Show me what your packing." Cassia dared him, glaring back profusely amused.

"Who said anything about me!" Officer Marten remarked, now looking extremely pleased with himself. Then without warning a cold black wave hit her, she was unprepared and it knocked her off of her feet. She was almost completely immune to vampire telepathy but this; she had never encountered such a strong telepathic 'punch'. It was like a silent but deadly piledriver that almost engulfed her into its black misty waters. Her head swam and she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness. She tried throwing up her shields, the way she had done with countless vampires who had tried to screw her mind but it was too late with her last once of strength she turned her head to see pristine Nikes walking into the room. Then the darkness arose to envelop her.


	7. Chapter 6: Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad W...

Thank you Airlia. And Ririka decided to change the entire story round. Any one who is interested in a slightly different version, mail and I'll send :D 

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The Inferno

Chapter 6: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf… The Big Bad Wolf… The Big Bad Wolf…

The first thing Cassia felt was the roiling migraine trying to punch its way out of her head, then of course there was the cold pavement floor she was lying on. She suppressed a shiver and immediately knew that she wasn't alone, she could feel about three vampires in the room with her right now. Not every hunter could do that, but she seemed to have acquired an asthmatic sense when it came to searching for Night World scum. There was no way of getting out of this situation by playing dumb or staying asleep and the longer she was incapacitated on the floor the longer she was unprepared for a fight. Cassia opened her eyes and blinked for a few moments before being able to focus on the face peering down at her.

Not an ordinary face, no it could never be described as ordinary. But a beautiful face, so beautiful in fact that all Cassias senses were screaming vampire. He was tall 6ft maybe a little shorter, he had short ash blonde hair that made him look extremely attractive but when Cassia came to the blue/green eyes. The eyes of aqua water she froze, there was nothing at all in those eyes. Nothing. No emotion, no interest. Not even animalistic hunger. These were the eyes of a dead man. So bespelled by his beauty was she that it took a second take for her to actually recognise him. He was the one she had spotted on the roof of one of the warehouses, the one who seemed to have been instructing the Night World strike team. This man was the one who she thought she should recognise, but couldn't. To fill in the tense silence and hide her apprehension she spoke allowing her sarcasm to shine through the bubbling fear.

"Nice decor." She said, looking around at the dilapidated warehouse. It was empty apart from some containers over in the far corner to the right; it also smelled like something had died in here more than a decade ago. The owners of this place definitely needed a cleaner.

"Glad your liking it already..." The blonde Adonis replied, he paused momentarily. Then his eyes did seem to take on some emotion that appeared to be interest. "Because you're going to be seeing a lot more of it."

Cassia studied his profile again whilst vaguely taking in the position of Adonis' flunkies. "Yeah well, gotta make the best out of a bad situation. I mean who would stay with you if they weren't tied down."

She heard both of the flunkies inhale sharply, but Adonis just smiled. "Let me have her master. I'll show her a real good time." Flunky number one pleaded. He was about her height but had short red hair, he was dressed in PVC which showed certain parts of his anatomy very clearly. Cassia almost scoffed, why the hell did most vampires think they could pull of something as S n M as PVC?

"You wouldn't have what it takes to show me a good time." Cassia answered, not even turning to acknowledge him. Her eyes were all for Adonis.

"Well then, in that case I'm the only one here that meet your requirements." The blonde vampire told her, he now seemed very interested. His eyes swirled in waves of furious blue, and his voice had that cold edge, the edge that tells you that whatever he had in mind would not be pleasant at all. Cassia stood up looking down at the handcuffs that still bound her arms. It was cowardly. She was outnumbered three to one; not to mention that one leech against one human would be enough in the right circumstances. She got to her feet, not at all graceful. The damn headache prevented her from caring about that though, and it was bad enough that she began to get dizzy from the waves of pain that side winded her. Cassia pushed it away glaring at him. Whatever it was in his eyes at that moment was the trigger that brought his identity rushing back to her in a blinding flash.

Cassia mentally kicked herself, she was so mentally challenged. It should have been obvious who he was, every respected hunter in the world were after his hide.

"Ah Flame Azure, the notorious Night World assassin. You're the council's favourite little lap leech. From what I'd heard I expected you to be taller." Cassia announced, she was actually proud at how steady her sounded.

Flame gave an evil sexy grin before answering. "Well I've got it where it counts."

"Enough with the sexual innuendo already. Just hurry up and kill me or whatever." Cassia told him, this whole thing was becoming tedious.

It was flunky number twos turn to add his two cents worth. "We've gotta better plan than that. We're going to kill you but you're going to suffer first. Inferno Bitch."

Cassia sighed, vampire dialogue just wasn't what it used to be. "Inferno bitch? Is that the best you can do?"

Flame stepped closer, and she felt him brush against her mind. No way was he getting the jump on her again her shields were firmly in place. "How about-" he began. "Cassia Edwards, age eighteen born in Chicago Illinois. Currently residing with the _late_ Mr and Mrs Maguire and their little granddaughter Maria." The way he said the last part of his sentence told her that he had indeed met the Maguires, his tone oozed mockery. They were all dead, she was certain of it. And it was all her fault. Cassia wasn't even aware of her movements as she made them. In a blur of speed that made her head throb harder she kicked him him in the jaw. His head moved fractionally to the side but nothing else seemed to register. He actually laughed, the bastard, he actually laughed.

"The little girl squealed like a pig when we ripped her fingers out. And the old vermin were pathetic, pleading and begging for their lives." Flame intoned looking at Cassia waiting for her to react. She didn't she just stared back expressionless.

"Whoops. I think we broke her already. And we haven't even started."

Cassia turned on him then, she had seen countless traumatic incidents during her very short life, and this would just be another she had to deal with. "Well then by all means do your worst leech. I never really like that family anyway The brat screamed at me constantly and the grandparents were always on my case. So you did me a favour anyway." Flame turned to her and Cassia saw the evil appreciative grin he sent her way, if he hadn't been a blood sucking creature of the night she might have felt happy about it but since he wasn't the grin only served to piss her off.

He almost looked like an angel in his golden halo of power, _The angel of death_, she decided grimly. Flame turned back to her all business like. His appearance chanted angel but the eyes were empty, no light no emotion. Just cold. "Now, what would you say was your worst fear?"

She considered this question for a moment, they already knew exactly what her worst fear was, they were just playing with her to see if she would answer truthfully." Well probably being changed into that which I hate most." She said, as she stared at the grey crumbling walls of the warehouse.

"Now would that be werewolf or vampire?" Cassia kept one eye on Flame and the other on the flunkies who were making a lot of noise to her right side. They were laying out various implements designed for torture, just great death then torture then more death, her day had just gotten so much better.

"I'd have a better chance at killing you and the PVC Brady Bunch if I were a vampire," stated Cassia simply.

Flame closed the distance between them in five long strides and brushed up against her as he laughed. "Oh that sounds like fun, bring it on baby." He then shifted his attentions to his goons. "Bring in the rabid dog." Cassia didn't like the sound of that, she watched annoyed as two of the flunkies disappeared through one of the doors. The other leech was staring at her smiling with himself, pleased. "While we wait, why don't I tell you just how terrified the Night World Council are of you. They paid me an obscene sum to make sure you all die." Flame added, cheerful.

"Oh." Cassia muttered, vaguely interested. "How much?"

"2 Mill."

Cassia gaped at him for a moment. "It's satisfying to know that something can scare the crap out of you worthless blood sucking bastards." She replied, eventually regaining her brainpower. Cassia braced herself for a beating or a snappy comeback, but as Flame opened his mouth to respond the two flunkies appeared with a rampaging he-wolf. Definitely a he-wolf. It was clawing at the leeches and only the cattle prods they were lashing it with were keeping it from tearing them in two.

"What the hell is this some kind of demonstration?" Cassia asked, her voice remarkably steady.

"After a fashion," said Flame. The two flunkies let the dog off its leash precariously, and backed away. Then so suddenly the wolf's attention shifted from the undead suckers to what it believed was the easiest target. _Don't even think about it terminally furry, _Cassia thought silently. Willing the stupid mutt to hear and understand exactly what she was thinking.

"I think you remember him. He was one of your Burn Baby Buddies." Flame remarked, he was staring at the wolf in amusement. Cassia looked at the werewolf for the briefest of moments but as her eyes met those of the wolf she knew immediately it was Jonathan's eyes she was looking into.

She was furious and frustrated and absolutely pissed at these scum-sucking mother fuckers. Cassia looked back at Flame smiling serenely. "Wow alliteration. So you do have an IQ larger than your dick size." She measured with her finger about an inch.

"If you survive this sweetheart, I will show you just how good I am."

"Gee that's encouraging." Cassia said, her voiced laced with heavy sarcasm.

Flame stepped closer to her once more, and Cassia noticed that the wolf seemed to cower away from him. It was afraid of him as was the flunkies who were now a safe distance away from the rabid wolf. Cassia was livid as he patted her on the ass.

"Have fun babe." He muttered, leering at her before striding away with his flunkies.

"So you're just going to leave me tied up?" Cassia called after him.

"Yeah."

"Figures. You haven't got the balls to torture me yourself so you use one of my friends knowing it's going to be hard as shit to kill him."

"Yeah," replied Flame, nonchalant.

"Yeah. You resort to one-syllable words when you run out of-"The door slammed mid-sentence. "Brainpower," she finished, talking to the door.

Cassia would have spent more time glaring at the door but the wolf/Jonathan was approaching her. "This really sucks Jonathan. This is so not cool." She muttered, backing up toward the table holding the torture implements, she had the distinct feeling that no matter what happened in the next few minutes one of them was going to die and Cassia was going to try and make sure it wasn't her. "Can you hear me Nish?" She asked gently, trying to make eye contact. At the same time she fumbled with the implements behind her on the table trying to grasp one of the scalpels she had seen.

"Yes...Cassia...I...hear...you..."The wolf snarled, there were hints of Jonathan's regular voice in the animals words but other from that there was only the growl of the wolf.

"That's good, you know. I really wanted to thank you for saving my ass." Cassia said neutral, her hand touched something cool and she almost yelped yippee!

The animal growled again as it stalked closer, Cassia had manoeuvred one of the scalpels so that she was now sawing away at the ropes that held the hand cuffs together. "You know, one part of me is saying Cassia Edwards cold hearted bitch and fellow Inferno buddy. Quite possibly the only friend I've ever had. You know most of the time I admired you," interrupted Jonathan quietly. "And the other part of me is saying...FOOD."

As she felt the ropes slacken at her wrists she looked him straight in the eyes before she replied. "Which part are you listening to?"

"The bigger part. FOOD." He leapt at her. Cassia lunged away from him as he crashed into the table of torture tools, she still had the scalpel in her hand and she barely moved in time to miss a swipe from Jonathan. He pounced for her again. No not Jonathan. Jonathan was dead. This was something else. The wolf jumped for her as she crouched lower, it would have fallen straight on her if she hadn't fell back on her back. The wolf skidded across the pavement floor as Cassia tried to scurry to her feet. She had barely recovered when she felt the large stab of pain across her shoulders and back. Cassia spun using the flurry of pain as a motivator she kicked the wolf in the jaw just as it was about to take a bite out of her ribs. The wolf actually yelped.

"Down boy!" Cassia told him caustically, as he lunged and missed again. She turned on her heel spun with the weight of her hips and drove the scalpel into the side of the wolf's neck. It slashed at her in crazed pain, and for a second Cassia thought she could see Jonathan staring back at her betrayed. She turned away and was running for the scattered torture utensils before the wolf pounced at her once more. This time Cassia grabbed one of the intricate daggers, which from the weight and the glide of colour was a silver knife. Cassia turned the dagger out mid lunge and she aimed the dagger into the wolf's eye. If you were trying to absolve a tense situation with a shifter or werewolf and sustain minimal damage then you always went for the eyes. It was the third rule in the vampire hunter handbook.

Jonathan slashed at her now furious, she felt his claws rip down her side and across her stomach as she thrust the knife deeper into his eye. It was exactly what she had done to the bear shifter a couple of days ago, and as the handbook stated it was damn effective. The wolf growled low as its body began to convulse. Cassia pushed it off of her and rolled away trying to catch a breath.

The sound of a single applause from the doorway brought her attention back to Flame; she got to her feet even though the gashes were painful and dripping blood.

He loomed in closer to her and Cassias fist clenched automatically. "I am impressed," he purred. Leaning in and licking a trail of Jonathan's blood from her face. "You'll do the job." Flame added moving further toward her lips, Cassia smiled as he did it and that was probably why he didn't expect her to elbow him hard in the solar plexus before sweeping his legs out from under him. He fell back onto the floor smiling brilliantly. He found this all very amusing.

"Didn't know you wanted to get on the floor so fast." He commented rising to his feet fluidly.

Cassia swung for him again but he dodged and smacked her on the ass again. "You bastard." She screamed as she kicked him in the side of the head, he blocked it as he kicked back at her and she dodged. The sounds of shouts and the sudden appearance of a crowd of people she didn't recognise stopped her in her tracks. In that instant of distraction Flame swiped her legs and she watched as in a blur as he disappeared into the shadows breaking necks as he went. Cassia struggled back to her feet, groggy, tired and bleeding she turned to see ten or twelve unfamiliar faces fighting with Flames three flunkies. The whistle of a crossbow bolt warned her of what was happening.

"Get the hell down! Flame Azure is up in the wings and he's shooting at you!" Cassia screamed to them. As she did one of the dozen or so fell to the floor with a crossbow bolt pierced his heart. Cassia careered forward taking the fallen guys weapon. It was damn good luck that it too was a crossbow. She loaded it up and fired back into the wings above her from the direction Flame was shooting from.

It was minutes later when the shouting subsided two of the vampire flunkies were dead and Flame had vanished. Very good at vanishing was Flame, there was no apparent evidence of him ever being there. Cassia noticed that one of the strangers were walking toward her as the rest hung back and looked at her reluctant to come closer. _Do I have the plague? _She questioned. It was hard keeping her eyes open, _I suppose that's blood loss for you. Maybe I should whistle for Flame I'm sure he would lick it up. _Cassia thought wildly, she saw the obscure features of a brunette girl with pixie feature before she felt the world slip away and then nothingness.

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	8. Chapter 7: Je vais t'arracher les yeux e...

Again, for Airlia. You've kept this little fic going. I'm sure you'll be proud of that… ;)

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The Inferno

Chapter 7: "Je vais t'arracher les yeux en passant par le narines"

The sun was spreading it's dying rays across the urban sky, making the mists glow as if they where alive. The air around Flame was thick and damp. Cooling as it entered his lungs. He glared at the setting sun. _Damn Daybreakers_, he thought, and glared some more. Below him some vermin ran about on unimportant business, strange silhouettes in the fading light. He sighed, his exhaled breath swirling the air around his face. 

Standing on the roof, his hand gripped the safety rail. It was as rotten and mouldering as the rest of the district. His fingers dug into the wood so his almost perfect knuckles went white. 

Damn those Daybreakers. He'd send them to Hell personally, but first he had to ring his… employer. Let im know of the current goings on. Under Flames' tightening fingers the rail started to crumble into a sodden mess, falling from his digits to the oily puddles below. Flat roofs, what an igneous idea.

Almost fastidiously Flame shook the clinging, damp wood splinters from his long fingers. Smoothly he pulled his sleek cell phone from his pocket. Vermin technology did have its uses. He leaned against the wall, heedless of the dirt and listened to the phone ringing. Sudden silence was the only indicator that the phone had been answered. "There's going to be a… delay." He said carefully.

"Really?" The voice was cold and sarcastic.

"Damn interfering Daybreakers." He said mildly.

"You let some hippies distract you?" The tone was pleasant. "You're slipping." Flame clenched his teeth as 'tsk tsk' came across the receiver into his ear. "Don't clench your teeth Flame, it'll ruin what little image you have." At the patronising tone Flame took a deep breath and put a false brightness in his voice. "Oh daddy, is that a compliment?" He was aware that his face was still as cold and calculating as ever, and hadn't moved a single muscle. 

"Considering how much you're being paid. You're taking your time Flame. And it does not amuse." The voice had gone back to being overly pleasant. 

Flame sighed, careful to avoid the phone. He wasn't the only one hating the Daybreakers. "You'll get the information." He told his employer, full of confidence. "Better late than never, non?"   


"Je vais t'arracher les yeux en passant par le narines" 

Flames laugh barked out. "That's a new one. Glad to know you're extending your vocab in you old age. And that's quite a feat, considering. Pulling my eyeballs out through my nose. He started laughing again.

"You know I can deliver on it, mon ami." 

"Don't you always deliver." Flame grinned.

"Your mhumour wears thin, for one who has failed."

"I'll get the info. Don't sweat it gramps. Why do you want it anyway?"

"Why should you care?" 

Flame rolled his eyes. "Because I feel a trip to said enclave coming on."

"You should know that I who't divulage my reasons until I'm ready."

"Worth a try." Flaem looked up, rain had started to fall. It pattered gently down on him, genteel on his skin. The sun was starting to vanish. Beneath him a rusted weark of a car pulle dout and drove away. Flam enarrowed his eyes at it. 

"Don't you have something to do?" He employer said mildly.

"I'm staling. I figure that making you wait will make getting the information more gratifying." He grinned, a trickle of dirty rain water foul on his tongue.

"Flame." The voice was warm, calm and _nice_.

__

Bingo. "See you in two days." Laughing he hung up.


	9. Chapter 8: Daybreaker Hell

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An: apologies for the bad spelling in the previous chapter, and Airlia. It thought you would be. :-D. Please review. 

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The Inferno

Chapter 8: Daybreaker Hell

Cassia awoke once again with a headache and various pains littered across her body, she was lying on a cot and her wounds had been bandaged .She was no longer wearing the red sweater but instead a white turtle neck covered her torso. Her jeans were still intact but cover in dried blood._ Oh well you've been in much worse for much longer_, she told herself solemnly. She pushed away the pain; she was used to that by now and stood up swaying on her feet before sitting back down. 

"Shit." She muttered to herself cradling her head in her hands and trying to stand again. This time she swayed but she managed to stay on her feet. The click of a door somewhere brought her attention from trying to stay standing to the two _people_ walking toward her, she could see them through the bars. _Bars? _Yes she was in a cell, strange that she hadn't noticed that at first. _You are becoming way too complacent Edwards you stupid bitch! _Cassia screamed silently in her head. 

In a matter of four days she had allowed herself to be ambushed, arrested, telepathically knocked out, made to kill her best friend after conversing with the biggest scum in the Night World and now she was locked up. AGAIN. _Just an ordinary day for me then. _Cassia thought, staring at these two figures calmly.

"I'm so glad you're awake, you had us very worried young Lady!" The girl with the pixie face scolded, Cassia remembered her from the warehouse. The fact that she was treating her like she was ten lost her at least ten brownie points on Cassias list.

"Who is 'us'?" Cassia inquired, with the same concentrated calm as she scaled the bars. They looked relatively new and instead of being prison custom grey they were painted black.

"Well Circle Daybreakers of course. "The girl replied, looking at Cassia curiously. Cassia must have groaned out loud because the pixie face puckered annoyed.

"Not Damned Daybreakers!" Cassia grumbled, resting her head against the cool bars. _This has got to be a nightmare...please god let this be a nightmare. _She pleaded. Cassia pinched herself. Nope, not a nightmare.

"Yes, we do work for Circle Daybreak." Pixie repeated, more firmly. "Do you know who and what we do?"

Cassia looked back at Pixie and gave her the coldest stare she could muster. "You go around singing hippie songs, preaching peace and love and unity with the Night People. You chant hymns with daisies in your hair and practically lie down on a plate and say 'Here I am EAT me now I don't care!" Cassia informed her, very matter of a fact.

The girl scowled at Cassia, and Cassia fought the urge to taunt her. _Do not insult your captors until the let you out_, she hummed to herself. _Don't you mean if? _That small voice added. _Shut up. _"No Miss Edwards we don't do that at all, but we do believe that Nightworlders and humans can live in harmony with one another. Some humans and Night People are actually soulmates and-"

She scoffed out loud. "That is disgusting. Humans and Night World scum _soulmates?_" Cassia spat, she turned her attentions back to the couple staring the pixie and the silent_ VAMPIRE!_ Her senses shouted loud enough to bring the throbbing migraine back in full force. The girl flinched under her gaze, but the boy didn't. _Half a brownie point for him_. Cassia remembered that they had used her surname, they obviously had the dirt on her...no big surprise anyone with a brain cell could get that info.

The pixie girl narrowed her eyes at her and continued on a rant. "We know all about your kind, _Cassia_" The girl began, she must have been about seventeen. "Those stupid ridiculous little freedom fighter who kill more than they save-"

Cassia lost it then, her patience had been in short supply considering the events of the last couple of days. "In opposed to a bunch of whiney do gooders who sit on their asses and sing Kum-by-ah all day."

"Well I never." The pixie girl grated, she was going scarlet. Cassia had the impression that she may pop if she didn't take a breath.

"Calm down Catherine, I' sure that after Rossalin talks with her she will understand. "The boy said hugging the girl, and Cassia saw pixie relax immediately. Not only was she Night World Loving Crazy... but she was a penis whipped one too.

"Whatever, leech." Cassia said, dismissing him with a wave of his hand. "Just get the keys and let me the hell out of here." She added smiling sweetly.

"We can't do that." Pixie broke in, she was kneeling in toward the bars taunting at her. "Rossalin told us that an Inferno member like you can't be trusted to go nuts and kill every Night World member of Circle Daybreak if we let you out." She finished this sentence gleefully.

"Go hug a werewolf Kum-by-ah!" Cassia retorted her voice of syrup honey.

Cassia watched as the guy bent down to mutter something to the girl and she giggled. _You are one cruel bastard God. This is total torture. _She looked skyward. Cassia almost physically barfed as they bent to kiss. "Stop it would you?" They didn't seem to hear her, they began to grope. "Hey go book a room necrophallic." They didn't stop. Cassia gritted her teeth and almost screeched. "Would someone please help me damn it!" Cassia turned away and tried to focus elsewhere. _This is hell. I must be dead._ The slurping noises continued. Cassia risked a glance as things quietened down. Strings of drool where suspended in-between the two _lovers_, like a symbol of the supposed soul bind between them. Frantic pawing was still going on.

"Would someone _please_ get me the hell out of here!" Cassia screamed.

"Only if you promise not to kill any Night People under the protection of Circle Daybreak." Another voice said, Cassia turned to see a tall slender raven-haired girl staring at her through the bars. Great, another vampire she thought mentally sighing. She was reluctant to make any promises of that type. "I am Rossalin Demage, do you promise not to kill any of my people Night World or otherwise?" She asked once more.

The chances of her getting out of here if she said no were nil so instead Cassia smiled and said. "I promise not to kill any of your people."

"Your word as a hunter!" Rossalin persisted

__

"Yes alright, on my god damn word as a hunter." Cassia spat back. _Although she didn't say anything about beating or brutally maiming her people, _thought Cassia cheerfully.

As if the vampire had read her thoughts she added. "That goes for maiming or beating the crap out of either." Cassia screamed a number of expletives just then, mostly about vampires and fucking telepathy and how stupid and useless she was.

"What the hell ever, just let me out from behind these bars. I am kinda sick of being beaten on, tied up and locked behind bars. It is becoming so old." Cassia sighed, tired. The vampire Rossalin smiled opening the door. Cassia actually had to laugh, the irony of being freed by a, a blood sucking demon was just hilarious. Rossalin smiled at her warmly as she motioned for Cassia to follow her. Cassia did, but only under silent protest. Later she wished she hadn't. Later she would wish she had beaten the vamps up and ran for the hills. Later Cassia the vampire hunter would regret it.

It kind of felt like being in fifth period Physics, only Rossalin Demage didn't have the beard and glasses Mr Forbes did. Although granted this girl could talk like Mr Forbes, she hadn't shut up in two and a half hours and even though Cassia had learnt the art of false listening from Mr F's long monotonous lectures she had felt obliged to listen since all arguments aside the Daybreakers had saved her and patched her up. The blood sucking leech Rossalin had mentioned the soulmate principle, the coming Millennium, wild powers, co-operation etc. etc. etc. Cassia wondered if vampires could lose their voices, by the second hour she was praying for it.

"So you see-," continued Rossalin. "If you could only understand that not all Nightworlders are sadistic murderers then perhaps we could co-operate."

Cassia looked at Rossalin squarely. "Okay listen up lamia girl. I am grateful that you saved my ass, really I am. But there is no way in hell I would ever co-operate with you. And I mean no offence when I say that. I am just not a willingly team player."

"It didn't seem to bother you where your little Inferno club was concerned." Rossalin replied, her voice cold.

"It wasn't a team, it was my family." Cassia said, through gritted teeth.

Rossalin opened her mouth to say something but was cut off abruptly by the sounds of a siren wailing all through the mansion complex. "What the hell is going on?" Cassia demanded, glaring at a crowd of people as they pushed past her.

"That can only mean one thing." Rossalin said voice quiet. "The Night World has discovered our location." Cassia looked at Rossalin and the fear was naked on her face. She was afraid. Good, she should be. The question is was she going to be able to handle the situation and take command of those who depended upon her. As Rossalin turned to run with the other terrified Daybreakers Cassia suddenly had her answer. Obviously she wasn't!

__

First priority weapons! Cassia thought, sprinting down the hall in the opposite direction of the Daybreakers.


	10. Chapter 9: Wait and Bleed

****

AN: Airlia, what would I do with out you?

****

Inferno

Chapter 9: Wait and bleed

__

Just when you think life can't get any worse, Cassia thought,as she stumbled around one of the many corners of the Daybreakers H.Q. _It_ _fucking well does_.

She still hadn't located her weapons and nor had she been able to find a Daybreaker who could tell her where they were. _What a bunch of fucking incompetents!_ Cassia concluded swinging around yet another corner. This wasn't a mansion it was a fucking labyrinth! What she saw next stopped her dead in her tracks. Children crouched down weeping, Nightworlders circling them like hungry wolves, ready to tare then apart.

__

Gee, I guess I'm about to get myself into some deep shit. Cassia decided as she moved to their aid, her movements were automatic and there was no way she could stand by and watch as these children were tortured to death. She could withstand a lot of shit, she had been constructed that way but her morals forbade her to just run away. Her mind wouldn't be able to endure this trauma, not for whatever reason. It was time to make her parents proud.

There were three of them, one less than four and two more than one. Either way she was outnumbered and unarmed, not the best state to be in when you're going up against three sub human monsters. But what the hell!

Cassia took inventory, one vampire, one werewolf, and one shifter. Vampire first, shifters later. Cassia kicked out at fangface, catching him off guard and the vampire fell to the floor with a satisfying heavy thud. "Run! Run now!" Cassia barked at the quartet of children. _What in hell are they doing here in the first place? _She rattled to herself, as wolf man slashed her bandaged back. Cassia spun around, a good roundhouse put him down. But now the vampire was back on his feet and closing in, unsurprisingly he was trying to use mind tricks and hypnosis on her. She was partially immune which was to her own credit, but it was really god damn distracting while she was trying to work, hence the need for making the leech mummy fodder as soon as possible.

Whilst the shifter moved in on the attack the vampire manoeuvred himself to her back, there was no way in hell she was going to let Vlad behind her so he could get the jump on one of her most vulnerable areas. _I need a weapon... Now! _Cassia thought, as she side-stepped the shifters pounce. Wolfman was back and this time her roundhouse didn't connect, instead the wolf knocked her to the floor and skidded to a stop three paces away from her. Cassia flipped to her feet and felt a sharp pain stab her in the shoulder. The vampire had thrown a dagger at her and it was now embedded in her left shoulder. It wasn't the best way to acquire a weapon, but it would have to do. Without even considering the pain Cassia pulled the dagger free from her bleeding shoulder and pivoted on her heel to stab the wolf who was pouncing at her from behind. Her dagger thrust into the chest of the wolf, Cassia fell with the weight of the wolf on her and pushed the knife up into the monsters throat. It scrabbled at her stomach trying to turn her body into spaghetti; the he wolf screamed one last time before collapsing against her completely still.

Just as Cassia got to her feet from beneath the dead wolf, the shape shifter began to shift, flowing fur of black and white. The dainty little lily was a Siberian tiger. By now Cassia was beginning to feel dizzy once more, she could not afford to pass out whilst these two Nightworld scum was still alive or she was dead for sure. Cassia launched herself at the tigress bloody dagger in hand, the cat seemed to smile as if she was expecting this action, Cassia smiled back. She didn't go after the tigress at all. Instead she twin kicked the vampire whom had been trying to slink to her he back, leeches never seemed to learn. As he was going down she moved in closer slashing his eyes and grabbing a stake from his super duper utility belt. The vamp although in pain tried to sweep her feet as she plunged the stake downward she jumped the sweep and staked him with ease.

Cassia didn't have time to recover as the tigress pounced onto her back with a ferocious growl, she felt the searing pain of teeth bite into the back of her right shoulder and all Cassia could think to do was push the dagger into the tigresses' rib cage. The cat dropped off of her back and retreated. The cat stalked her spitting acid at her.

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty." Cassia wheezed. The tigress jumped for her, slashing her in the ribs, possible payback for what Cassia had done to her. Being this close Cassia could use the dagger to pierce the shifters heart. She growled and lashed at Cassia upper body, just like her cousin he wolf she collapsed in a heap, dead.

Cassia rolled away but her energies were depleted and she couldn't get her breath. Her vision was blurring over and her body was racked with pain. She glared up at the plain white ceiling trying to gasp in air, _I refuse to die, I am not going to die, fuck you God you can't have me, now piss off. _Cassia ranted, she was starting to feel sleepy and her body now felt warm, and the pain had become a dull thump through her body.

So suddenly a brilliant flash of light engulfed her, flashes of her biological parents, her first day at school, numerous training sessions with her many mentors, Marias smiling face, her first Nightworld kill at age fourteen and finally the smiling face of Flame Azure.

Wait. That wasn't a flash. He was actually standing there smiling down at her; he so wasn't the last person she wanted to see before she died. Another cruel twist of fate, she giggled to herself.

Flame leaned against the wall assessing the three dead Nightworld assassins. "Perhaps you were the best the Inferno had?" He commented kicking at his fallen comrades. "Never the less you're dying." This last part was said without feeling.

"No fucking shit, you're real fucking perceptive," coughed Cassia. She still couldn't breathe properly and her vision kept greying over. Flame was looking her over as if her bleeding broken body was something for sale.

He gave a grim smile and sighed. "I really don't care about your miserable life anymore vermin, I just want to know where the location of the enclave is."

__

Enclave? Does he mean The Serpents Lair? Wait, how did he know about that? It had taken her and the Inferno countless hours of torture, bribery and energy finding the location of it. No one else should have known. "Enclave? What's an enclave?" She answered, in her best dumb blonde tone.

Flame didn't look impressed, nor was he at all convinced by her little act. "The Serpents lair, one of the most secretive enclaves to exist in the Nightworld. You and your Inferno buddies," His smile widened to proportional amounts. "Were planning to hold a barbecue there in the impending future," He informed her. "Before I slaughtered them all of course."

She laughed mentally, a mixture of fury and frustration, it had taken so long to locate The Serpents lair, she, Shawn and Casey had been tracking and tracing for almost eight years to find it's location, and now Flame Azure wanted to know where it was, well she'd be damned if she was going to help this murderous bastard. "Why don't you just ask the council?"

Flame was beginning to look perplexed but replaced his flicker of annoyance with a predatory smile. "Because, dear girl," he began, in that light hearted singsong voice. "If I ask the council where The Serpents Lair is, and then it is raided and its inhabitants torn up into shit. They could hold me accountable for such a heinous act."

Realisation. "You didn't just hunt us down on Nightworld orders, you're working for someone else outside the Nightworld." She told herself aloud.

He nodded his agreement. "Well of course I am. The Nightworld council are simpering morons. They may be my nation but they didn't train me. I have other loyalties. Ones that I get well paid for, may I add." He said, his voice still in a singsong lilt. "And extracting the location of The Serpents Lair will increase my payment from two mill. to five mill." He took a step forward, stretching like a kitten interrupted from its afternoon nap. "So why don't you just give me the location" Flame finished, in that oh so reasonable voice.

"Location? Enclave?" Cassia repeated, enjoying her chance at pissing off the infamous assassin.

"That's right." Flame agreed, in a patronising tone, his body language screamed irritation.

Flinching slightly from a fresh roiling stampede of pain, Cassia fought to keep her smile and sarcasm. "You're talking shit Azure." She flinched again, closing her eyes to try and force the pain away. "Now go away so I can die in peace, God knows I've earned it."

Standing straight now, Flame stalked closer. "I'll leave you in peace." He told her evenly, as he bent down closer to her. "When you've told me."

Choked laughter. Cassia could still manage that. "You'll have a long wait then."

Flame grinned down at Cassia as he began to extend his senses toward her mind. "I've got forever." He said, as his mind brushed across a solid steel wall.

Cassia could feel his mind trying to slide through her mental defences and wanted to laugh, the memory of the pain it caused her though, convinced her not to. He was a persistent bastard, she'd grant him that, but a very talented witch had taught her precisely how to resist mind control, and even then Cassia's mental immunity to telepathy had been concrete. She had the many walls, shields and mountains she had erected after her families death to thank for that. "Ah ah ah," She told him. Waving a wobbly finger from side to side. "That's not very polite." And then, instead of giving him the information he wanted, she projected the grey, nauseous feelings that were trying to drown her.

Flame pulled back reflexively. _Humans, so over dramatic. _He could hear the disgust in his mental voice ringing in his ears. He settled back and set to destroying the vermins pitiful mind shields.

He was not amused by the little tricks Amara had taught her, she could tell from the way he was ramming his mind against hers, like a battering ram to a door. Cassia clenched her teeth and clamped her shields down. "Baaaaaaad lil Bloodsucka." She ground out, in her best school mistress voice.

Flame grinned, not missing the chance at a sexual innuendo. "Little?"

She raised a shaking hand to give him the finger, trying to push away the warm, drowsy feeling of sleep that was descending on her. Cassia tried to focus on the lain plaster wall ahead of her and did a double take before giggling. "Look," she tried to point behind him but gave up as she was without the energy. "I'm seeing nine of you."

Flame glanced over his shoulder and exchanged a knowing expression with his non Nightworld employer, mentor and the closest he got to a friend. Flame didn't know, nor did he really care why Chase wanted the location. The Nightworld council had ordered the Inferno's annihilation for a plentiful sum. Chase wanted the enclave's location from the Inferno; Flame didn't see any problems with either deal. They would both get what they wanted and he would get the payoff, everyone was happy. That of course had been a mistake, because there was a problem. Getting the information out of said vermin. He was beginning to regret playing with this girl, she had been nothing but trouble, aggravating fun. Flame sighed, glancing at the rest of Chase's group, appropriately named The Shadows. He turned his attention back to Cassia, smiling fondly, as you would to a child. "It's your lucky day."

Cassia scrunched up her face and pondered whether or not she was hallucinating from blood loss. "Is this hell? Because... I'm not feeling the heat or seeing Satan?" Cassia felt vaguely someone kneel at her side but she couldn't make out what they were doing.

One of the Shadows muttered. "Very funny," the sound dead in the air.

Flame watched the drowsy glee cross over her slackening features. "Wow, it can say words," she said. Flame couldn't help giving the vermin a little respect. By rights she should be dead and gibbering in fear of the onset of her non-existence, yet here she was still trying to get the last word.

He turned to look at Chase. "Your treat."

Flame kept a blank face as Chase raised his eyebrows. Torture could stop and start on those eyebrows. "You made the mess. If you'd just gotten the information before she got brought into CD we wouldn't be in this situation right now!"

"Hey, the information is right there." Flame grinned and pointed to Cassia.

Cassia tried to raise her arm to give Flame the finger. _Great, I can't even flip him. _Her eyes were drifting shut, her arms were growing cold and heavy. "I'm giving you the finger. Mentally." Her words passed through her lips clumsy and slurred.

She choked a laugh at Flame when Chase commented. "Remind me not to pay you."

Flame gave her the cold eye, if she could have Cassia would have mock shivered. Instead she settled for on "Frosty."

"Is this chick for real?" The someone who had kneeled by her remarked.

"Let me check." She made an attempt to feel at her body.

"You look like a suffocating fish." Flame said, meditatively.

"Sticks and stones may break my bone but here I am dying." Her voice had picked up his singsong rhythm.

"Swans death song." Flame told himself.

"Do I have a beak..."She slapped at her face, which was tingly like a local. "Oh my god... I don't have webbed feet..."She couldn't quite get the pitch of voice to indicate sarcasm.

"No shit." Flame rolled his eyes.

"She's fucking crazy." The witch at her side stated, and shook his head, moving away.

"Shh! No swearing!" Cassia looked around aimlessly. "This has happened before. The blood... not mine... werewolf... Mohawk... "

"Shouldn't she be dead?" Another of the Shadows asked.

"... It's pure will... Did you know he's being paid by the Nightworld?... Apparently... we scared..." Cassia said, her sentences disjointed, her voice heavy.

"Flame..." Chase said, almost chidingly.

Cassia began in a singsong voice. "Somebody's in-"

A huge thunk, as a fist hit muscle.

"-Trouble." Cassia rolled hr head to the side, and saw Flame in a heap. "Don't make me laugh! I will not laugh... ow..."She clutched her sides trying to squelch laughter.

"What can I say, four bird, two paychecks and one stone." Flame announced, hauling himself to his feet.

"Go bite a werewolf." Cassia bit out.

"You offering?"

"Lick it up!" Cassia looked horrified as Flame knelt beside her. "Not while I'm still breathing...I couldn't take it."

"Why don't you two continue this at a later date." Chase suggested in mild tones.

Cassia couldn't resist. "Because I'm dying you dumbass." She informed him, not necessarily heartbroken over the fact. "God, did all you fang fucks graduate from the same... ... ... school?" She fought hard to finish, as the urge to slip away into sleep increased.

Flame flashed a startling smile. "Sure, I just never graduated."

At this one of the senior witches stepped forward to mutter. "Excuse me Chase, but shouldn't we be interrogating her about the location of the enclave instead of trading snappy comebacks."

Cassia repeated her response to the question as before. Jonathan would probably have said she was having a blonde moment. "Enclave? Location?" Her voice was heavy and thick. She felt she had to carry on. "I didn't... want to die now... I just wanted... to, to kill..._him_... but beggars can't... choose..."She stopped abruptly and concentrated on watching Flame and the tall, brunette they called Chase. Chase? Hadn't she heard that name somewhere...She couldn't follow the thought. Both Chase and Flame seemed to be communicating. Flame was looking over his shoulder at Chase. Not good..."Hey... Flame... it's... all your fault... if you hadn't... then I... Jonathan..." She exhaled with relief as Flame moved away. Chase advanced, Cassia tried to devance. It didn't work, for some reason blood that made you slip when standing up trying to fight, stuck her to the spot. "Whaddya doing?" She eyed Chase as he fluidly crouched beside her, slitting his wrist with a dagger he produced from his belt. She had the epiphany. "No..."She managed to gurgle before his wrist was at her lips.

Warm. That's the only reason she could feel the blood in her mouth.

She tried to spit the rich heady liquid out, but it didn't work, she was too weak. She had the vague notion that it was drooling down her chin. The world had blocked out to just her and the blood.

__

Drink.

Orders, she hated orders. _Fuck... off..._

The blackness claimed her. 


	11. Chapter 10: Blood Lust

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The Inferno
    
    Chapter 10: Blood lust

~*~

Cassia woke up groggily. Her vision made her dizzy with its constant shifting of her eyesight, focusing in, zooming out. What the hell had she been doing last night? It must have been good, to warrant this much of a concussion. A concussion with out a headache. But an insistent ache in her upper jaw. It was like teething, where the original teeth where being forced out, the pressure building and building with intense discomfort.

__

Red. _Warm._

Cassia felt her stomach contract. Breathing seemed to be hard, the air getting stuck in her throat. _Why_ _am_ _l hyperventilating_ _about_ _being_ _locked_ _up,_ _again?_ Another cell, the white paint peeling, windowless and only the piece of foam that she was now sitting on inside. The floor was stone, and on inspection tilted to a drain in the middle. Last night had obviously not been good for her prestige as a hunter. And dwelling on it, where the hell was the light coming from?

A door slammed, it echoed outside of her cell. She gritted her teeth with anger as a familiar voice reached her ears. Flame Azure.

"You are soo lucky boy." Was the answer to Flames mumble. 

Cassia grinned, so he was getting wrong. Now _that_ she could enjoy...

"Boy?" Flames snort reached Cassia's ears hampered by the walls. "Boy? Need I remind you about the boy issue?" Even muffled the annoyance shone through Flames voice. Cassia bit down a laugh, as a smacking sound was identifiable. She was disappointed when no sounds of Flame crumpling into a heap where heard. _Now_ _where_ _did_ _I_ _get_ _that_ _from..._? "Remember, play nicely with the newbie." The voice was decisive, and commanding. Chase... A flash back hit Cassia, as the locks clicked, bolts where removed and the hatch that had been placed over the grating in the door was removed. 

Pale light hit Cassias eyes, and hurt. The sight of a grinning Flame made her nauseous.

"Cassia Edwards," Chase stated, business like, over riding Flame. "I have four words for you. Location. Of. The. Enclave."

Deja vous struck Cassia, leaving her as confused, as she had been when she'd first prised her eyes open. "Location? Enclave?" Dumb blonde never failed... And there was Flame, blonde to the extreme, just to add an extra dimension to that statement. A disgrace to blondes everywhere.

"Maybe you're not lucky Flame." Chase observed clinically.

"Can't blame me." Flame said.

"You are over doing the 'pity me'." Chase growled, ominously.

Cassia glanced between the two of them, confused. What the hell was going on here? "Me?" Flame was saying, something akin to sincerity shining from his face and oozing from his words.

"Yes. You." Obviously Chase knew that if someone could fake genuineness they _really_ couldn't be trusted. Cassia really admired that in a person. She supposed it could be translated to vampires. She took the opportunity to stumble to her feet, heading for the door. She hung back, not wanting to touch the grate, but not wishing to be seen swaying on her feet. "Who? What?" She needn't have worried. Flame was too busy antagonising.

"Surely not me." He smirked. "You going to 'interrogate' her?" He waggled his light eyebrows. Honestly to the fire, he did. Cassia stared.

"Do you honestly think I'd trust you to do it, after the last time? You practically killed her."

__

Killed _me._ _Oh_ _no..._ _Oh_ _no..._ She concentrated on the conversation with everything she had, feverishly.

"Practically? And that wasn't my fault." Flames voice was as bland as rich pudding, made by one of the more memorable of Cassia's foster mothers.

"If you hadn't screwed around with her in the first place and killed her little group on the Nightworld orders she would never have ended up in this position." Chases voice was level, the anger barely showing in his eyes.

Flames grin shot up fifty watts. "Nightworld orders? Nightworld paycheck!" The punch that Chase gave him doubled him over, putting him out of Cassias sight. 

Cassia took the moment to get a word in. "Hey! Am I in hell? Is this the ninth circle?"

"Yes! He's here!" Flame didn't reappear; instead Cassia heard him running down the uniform grey corridor, quickly but still sounding overtly merry.

"Hey? Blondie!" Cassia called over him, trying to see Flame, but the door blocked her view. She heard his footsteps halt. 

"Look who's talking." He sounded delighted. 

__

Maybe I shouldn't have encouraged him. But what the hell. She stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry. The effect was lost on Flame, and Chase received the full effect. His expression was as blank as normal, eyes vaguely and disturbingly pleasant. Cassia ignored it. "Anyway. I was just about to ask: WHERE THE HELL AM I?!" Her voice echoed around, and Chase's expression never faltered. Cassia mused that her difficult manner might have been more of a challenge to the leech, if he hadn't have been putting up with Flame, for what seemed like a long time. Damn the bastard for undermining her authority. 

The last echo died of her shout, a faint dripping could be heard. Cassia strained to hear Chases answer, expecting and receiving more word games. "In my dungeon." Was all he said. She gritted her teeth.

"Huh? And. Why. Am. I. Still. ALIVE?!" her involuntary yell again rebounded, drowning out any sound of escaping water, but there was a slight change of facial muscle arrangement on Chases face. It didn't bode well for Cassia's near future. She'd rather not have a future. The careful smile on Chase's face was promising something… She had a vague flash of silver before he answered.

"You are going to live for ever, with all it entails." 

Cassia felt the blood drain from her face. Her hands started to shake. "Oh no…" The whisper was thorn from her throat. "Oh no…!" Louder this time, as if volume would overlie what he was suggesting. "You didn't!" there was an edge of pleading to her voice that made Cassia cringe, and fall silent.

She bristled under the amused, and 'duh' look she was receiving. "You want blood."

The statement stopped her cold. Blood. Red. Sweet. What she wanted- She felt her jaw slacken, the ache increase-

"You! You had no right! I'm no… I can't be…" She fell into a fighting stance automatically, her feet planted in forward stance, ready to kick, as if she could hurt 'Chase' through the door. "I never wanted to be a monster." She said, stronger this time. Savagely she kicked the door, the gunshot like bang rebounded by the surroundings. "You mother fucking parasite!" She kicked the door, harder this time. Its unyielding surface crushed at the top of her foot when she and the door connected, pushing her over as her balance over swung. She landed on the floor, blissfully out of the sight of his blistering gaze. His eyes had looked like sheer black in the dark of the dungeon, even now she was- _NO!_

"Location. Location. Location." Chases voice was soft as I fell down to her. She leaned against he door, the metal cool on her forehead. So much so it made her feel fevered. "You tell me the location of the enclave, and you get our of your box." His words where pressing down on her mind, with panic Cassia realised her shields where in tatters around her now nearly exposed mind. _You're in deep shit girl!_ Her mind told her, unhelpfully. _How the hell do you get yourself into these situations?_

They get done to me! She snapped back. She smiled into the metal of the door. She had her anger. She had her hate. "You! You changed me! Into a blood sucking parasite! Just so you get the location of an _enclave_?" her voice held disbelief, the kind that didn't focus on the big crisis, because she'd go mad if she did, but the smaller one. The one that stated there where bastards wherever you happened to be, what ever species they where.

"No shit." The voice was amused.

The anger calmed her, steadied her. "Fuck you." She said levelly.

"Do you want out?" Chase asked, as if she hadn't sworn at all. Playing on the pressing nature of her cell, she could feel the weight pressing down on her…. Ready to crush her… she shook her head, her hair clinging to the faint sheen over her forehead. 

"No! No…" Out. Humans. Blood. "I fucking don't. Because as soon as I get out of here I'm going to jump some stupid..." _Blood filled _"human." 

"So. Do you want to learn how to control yourself? How to feed and not kill." Chase smile. She was weak. He could feel the tatters of her shield fall further and of cause there where was more than reason as to why he'd changed her…

"No!" Chase heard her sit up, her blood suddenly pumping harder at the through of feeding, over her fear of being what she hated. "No I fucking don't! I just wanted to die! For gods sake was that too much to ask? You probably kill people everyday. It's not like it would make a difference." Her voice faded to a murmur. Sad. Depressed. Running on anger still. Interesting. 

He made her an offer she wouldn't be able to refuse. "Tell us the location, and you can die the way you chose." The lie rolled easily of his tongue.

Cassia felt her gaze slow to a stony gaze. She pulled herself to her feet, and got a shock that made her stomach jump, to see he was standing close to the grate, and his eyes really where black. "Why do you want to location anyway?" She asked, buying time, her throat starting to crack. She was always one to need a gallon of water because she a sink like thirst… _Red_. She concentrated intently on Chase's answer.

"I owe it a big stake through the heart."

Cassia leaned against the door, and despite herself, she smiled. "Gee, why didn't you say so. I' really going to believe one the devils own."

Chases smile mirrored hers, only with calculation, and more viscously. It made Cassia shiver. Hunter instincts told her there was a vampire, and she was unarmed. Useful. She ignored it. "We may be vampires, and other… oddities from a human point of view, but we are definitely not Nightworld." There was a cold anger in his eyes, a long way down, barely detectable.

"OH, you're not a damned Daybreakers are you? I've already had the 'save the world' talk for today."

Chases eyes flickered. She wasn't to know she had been dead for three days before his blood had rearranged her body to be stronger. Better. "Not Daybreakers." He said calmly. 

__

What the hell? Well, why not it's not like I have the back up anymore to take a whole enclave on…. Not like I'm going to live once I tell him… she felt a burning, cold peace in her as she told him. "It's the first island in a cluster of three close to Australia. If you go by air it looks like a snake. The enclave you want is the head. Now fuck off." Her voice remained matter of fact.

Her heart chilled as she saw the grin on Chase's face. "You're coming to." Cassia's mouth dropped open. "What?" She glared at him. "You promised you'd let me die after I told you." She said, indignant. Typical, she could have remembered that a leech was a leech was a fucking fanged leech. 

"No until we know you're not lying." Chase smiled at the irony of his statement, and the rage that flared up at his condescending tone. She growled at him, in frustration. He grinned. Amusing.

"If I was lying wouldn't you be able to tell oh powerful Vlad I am blood of your fucking blood."

Chase gave a Gaelic shrug that meant everything and nothing and told a partial truth that he knew would annoy the little spark. "It's far more fun to have you with us."

He raised his eyebrows as she started to kick his door again, not loosing her balance, emphasising he almost scream with each kick. "You PROMISED!"

Chase watched her, blank face. "To be precise I said if you agreed to tell us where, then we'd kill you. However, you told me before we'd greed properly."

The door quaked on its hinges as she kicked harder. "Dam it. Damn it DAMN IT! I- I- hope you fucking BURN!"

No, Cassia Edward wasn't totally wreaked. Chase drew back from the door. "The flight should be in a few hours." He turned to leave, and heard her yell after him, her throat raw: "hey! Aren't you at least gonna let me out?"

He didn't' turn as he walked away, but told her that some salvation would be coming. "Flame will be bringing you clothing."

The kicking of the door continued, the noise following Chase upstairs, still held in his head as he climbed above the dungeon level to organise the flight. 

Down below, Cassia bit her lip, moaning at the blood on her tongue, and fighting off tears.


	12. Chapter 11: You Will Respect My Authorit...

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Ceallaigh: thank you! Here it is! 

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Bex: thank you :-D well, it is the thought that counts… ;)

Sharmeen: here you go.

*

Inferno

Chapter 11: You Will Respect My Authority

*

She had long since stopped hammering on the door and the growing dizziness had persuaded her to sit back down on her pad of foam. She sat, hunched over, listening, trying to think and not getting anywhere.

The door flung open, bringing Cassia to her feet, jerkily and leaving her swaying as floaters taunted and tainted her eyes. It was Flame.

"Clothes!" He said, his voice at odds with his dead eyes. He shoved them at her, She gaze at him stonily, not responding. Flame continued as if she'd given him a joyful welcome. "And." He dropped the packet at her feet, "Food."

Cassia's expression didn't' change as she told him. "I'm not changing, and I'm not eating _that_." But she wanted to. She could smell it, tangy and salty on her tongue, to slide easily down her throat…

Flame raised a mocking eyebrow. "It's cows blood. Died anyway and was strung up by its arse before human consumption. Do you know that humans bleed the carcasses?"

"I WONT' DRINK BLOOD!" perhaps she said it so forcefully because that's what her body was demanding for her survival. Either way, she just wasn't drinking blood.

Flame carried on, as if she hadn't said anything. "Just don't burst it on the floor. When the blood lust hits you'll find yourself licking it off the floor." The tone of his voice indicating that that would be a good sight for him, at least. He grinned evilly at her, laughing behind his pale eyelashes, framed by his vivid eyes, mocking her.

Cassia felt tears wash over her eyes. She held onto them, clinging to little bit of dignity she had. She wasted to cry though instead she thought as hard as she could, to cover it up. _Go AWAY! I don't want an audience!_

Flames grin, if anything enlarged. "I've seen those bags being attacked before."

His tone clearly expressing that he was enjoying her pain. Cassia felt her anger flare. "Well not me." She informed him, testily. "So unless you want me to stay as I am, you will fuck off." There, that was better. Not weak, entirely more like her.

"Tough. I stay."

"Tough. I. Won't. Change."

"Drink. The. Blood." Who ever said anything about clothes? The clothes where a nicety. She needed the subsidence for what was to follow.

"Go. Bite. Your. Self." She told him, hating him more than ever. She had a minute warning as he lunged for her, and she was too weak, too slow, to avoid him, or even deflect him.

*

Chase walked down the steep, narrow steps, feeling the abrupt air change as he entered the dungeon level. Despite good ventilation it was dank and cold with a despairing chill that would settle into anyone's bones. At that moment he wasn't concentrating on that, he was focused on the cries of an elated crowd. Catcalls, cheers, wolf whistles, egging on… he rounded the corner and saw the group of his men that where, surprise surprise, outside of Cassia's cell, where he'd sent Flame.

"Don't you have something to do?" Chase threatened in the mildest, calmest of tones. The spectators scattered, bleeding well with the shadows, till they where out of sight. Chase didn't bother to watch them go, instead the sight before him transfixed him. Flame had the newbie in a headlock, her and legs rendered useless as she struggled futilely against he elder vampire. "Drink it." Flame was hissing at her. 

"Go bite yourself!" Cassias reply was tight lipped, but Chase admired her spunk. 

"Never mind me! Drink!" Flame snapped as unaware of his sole spectator, as he had been of the crowd. Totally and completely focused. Chase made a note to himself to try and keep Flame and Cassia separate, and smiled.

"No!" Cassia yelled back.

Chase wiped his face of the smile, and stepped in. "Children." He stated, amused that Flame hadn't heard his voice, or the threat it offered. Now, Cassia possibly noticed him arrive but due to her only line of sight being the floor…

"Get fuck puppy off me!" she yelled, only serving to infuriate Flame further. Before Chase could react Flame had positioned Cassia so he could break her neck. Chase could hear her bone creaking. "Stake me!" She still managed to chock out, "don't' break my neck!" the further stunting of her breathing made her greying vision flash with slices of purple and vivid crimson.

Flame was grinning as Chase grabbed him. He still said, "where would be the fun in that?" as he dragged forcefully off her. Chase held Flame away and fixed the fresh vampire with his eyes. "You have five minutes to change. If you don't' put the clothes on, I'll dress you." He watched her eyes widen, and a hint of respectful fear flared in her eyes, before wheeling abruptly and leaving, dragging Flame after him.

He slammed Flame against the wall, not that far down from Cassia's cell. If it was anyone else the embarrassment of loosing control to a female, newly made vampire in front of nearly the entirety of the group would be enough. Hell, the dressing down normally reserved for these situations would be enough. But no… Not Flame. "Can't you control yourself for a minute?" Chases tone was as expressionless as his face was featureless. Flame opened his mouth, and Chase had an inkling of what he was going to say. Instead he interrupted, "and think very carefully before you answer…" Chases voice lowered dangerously.

"Then what do you want me to say?" Flames tone and face was almost identical to Chases.

"I want you o say: 'I'm sorry Chase, I will show better self-restraint, because I know you taught me better than that!" Flame just sighed, and Chase felt the faint hope that they where getting somewhere for the first time in the centuries or so since they'd… rescued Flame. Chase reflected that Chase and Flame had a lot in common. Possibly why they got on _so_ well. 

In the silence that had fallen, the rustling of clothing could be heard. Flame made a disappointed face. "I was hoping you'd beat her up."

Chase gave Flame a superior look and grinned, caring his teeth. "I wouldn't have to fight her to get her to change."

"I'd prefer he beat _you_ up." Cassia injected before Flame could reply. _Hell, they can kill each other…_ But t hen, she'd never get to kill him. She raised her chin squarely, clenching her teeth so it wouldn't quiver, before answering. "I only changed because the bloody look is out!".

In answer the blonde vampire smirked, still being held against the wall. "You're so out on vampire fashion."

Cassia glared at him. "Well I didn't ask to be a fucking vampire did I?" Frustration welled up in her throat. 

"I'd say you're asking for it." He leered, showing exactly what he meant. It took a while for Cassia's befuddled mind to grasp his full meaning. She gave him a look of disgust, summoning up a reply, but she was interrupted.

"Children." Chases tone was ominous. 

"She is so not my sister." Flame said hurriedly, to be objecting, refusing to let someone else have the last word in. 

"You got that right, didn't you stake her in the back at age five?"

"How did you know?" Flame gave her a mock amazed look. 

Cassia smiled smugly. "Sources!"

"Crap sources!" Flame crowed, "it was age four!"

"If my sources are so crap how did I manage to find the serpents lair when you're sorry ass couldn't?" She asked him, oh so sweetly.

"Why bother to do what another can do for you?" Flame said with great louche. 

She kicked him, right in his solar plexus, following up with a rapid sweep of his feet. Just as Flame was about to retaliate, she felt herself hooked up by her collar, flame also being held in the undignified place. "We are getting on the plane. Now. And I expect you both to be on your best behaviour." 

"This is my best behaviour." Flame stated with a slow smile. 

"Please! This is your best behaviour?" Cassia gave him an incredulous look, and turned to Chase. "And you haven't killed him yet?" She glowered as Chase and Flame laughed, sharing a private joke at her expense, their laughter rich and vibrant. "Crazy! The whole fuckin' lotta ya!" She turned her back to them and started to stride off, but with their continued laughter and no sounds of movement she tilted her head. "Well! The sooner we do this the sooner you can put me out of your misery." 

Flames voice halted her, and she turned to face him, a feeling of dread in her stomach.

"Did you get his deal in writing with a blood oath under the witness of a God of Oaths that he believes in before the witness stones, along with his solemn word on it?" Flame took in Cassia's reaction and chuckled. "Guess not."

Cassia gave Flame the finger.


End file.
